Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is renowned as one of the best defensive coordinators in the league, and a critical part of the team’s dynasty. He’s proven to be the perfect compliment to an offense built by Andy Reid and powered by Patrick Mahomes.
It would be easy to forget he was the New Orleans Saints’ defensive coordinator for one season a little over decade ago. The history books won’t forget. In that season, New Orleans allowed 7,042 yards, the most in NFL history.
This was the season Sean Payton was suspended for the entire year. Upon his return, Payton fired Spagnuolo, who bounced around the league for a few years until he ended up in Kansas City. Reid doesn’t hold that season against his defensive coordinator, not just because it was a long time ago.
Speaking with reporters this week from the Caesars Superdome turf, Reid said he believes Spagnuolo, “Didn’t have enough time here necessarily to really get the whole thing going, but he’s a good coach.” It’s hard to disagree seeing the success he’s having. Spagnuolo has won three Super Bowls with the Chiefs and is closing in on his fourth. Few defensive play callers have sustained success like this in NFL history.
For Spagnuolo, 2012 was a hard season, of course. “That particular year, I took a lot of lessons,” Spagnuolo told NOLA.com’s Luke Johnson during his own media availability. If those lessons allowed him to craft this defense, we can chalk 2012 up to being a necessary evil.
As his career has continued, that 2012 season has become a small footnote in his career. He was a successful, Super Bowl winning defensive coordinator prior to joining the Saints, and became a pillar of a dynasty after leaving the Saints.
